5.23.2023 | Tuesday

Stubbed Toes and Dating Woes

category: Book Reviews
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Stubbed Toes and Dating Woestitle: Stubbed Toes and Dating Woes
author: Dahlia Donovan
published: 19 May 2023
publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
genre(s): lgbtqia+, romance
pages: 131
source: client
format: manuscript
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

rating: five-stars

the blurb

Niclas Ruiz loves digging in the dirt for ancient artifacts. He’s obsessed with old words and lives in his own world. His summers are often spent traveling to new places to hunt for treasure with his trusty metal detector while trying not to get lost or stumble off a cliff. Love has never been high on his priority list. His being autistic and asexual has often been a hurdle for other people. But he’s happy enough to plod along on his own with his horde like a fairy-tale dragon. But sometimes, he allows himself to dream about a man out of his reach. Two things about Falk “Grizz” Evensen are certain. He runs a successful security firm and has been hopelessly in love with his best friend’s younger brother for many years. Neither of them has ever dared to test the waters. When Niclas plans to visit Cornwall for the summer, his older brother convinces Falk to join him under the auspices of keeping him safe. Is this May-December romance doomed to be derailed by fears of unrequited love? Will their treasure hunt lead them to true love or fool’s gold?


a few notes

keywords/phrases: MM, own voices, autistic, asexual

my review

I am a diehard fan of Dahlia Donovan’s books. Each and every one of them. So I read this knowing I’d fall in love with it! And I so deeply did.

Niclas and Falk are everything I could want in this romance. Niclas is smart, accomplished, and incredibly funny, even though he often doesn’t realize it. Falk is older, patient, and unendingly caring and kind. I loved their dynamic, the ways in which they interacted. One of my favorite parts was watching Niclas change and gain confidence in protecting himself against those who would seek to take advantage of him.

Such a beautiful read!


About Dahlia Donovan

Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress. She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters. An autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive collection of books and video games.

Rating Report
plot
five-stars
characters
five-stars
writing
five-stars
pacing
five-stars
Overall: five-stars

reading challenges:

  • 2023 Alphabet Soup: Author Edition Reading Challenge
  • 2023 Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge
  • 2023 PopSugar Reading Challenge
::spread the love::

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